Gansu; The Final Days

We thought we were going to get a well-deserved shower after our nights on the train, and then in the freezing cold desert but luck wasn’t with us that morning and our hotel rooms weren’t ready by the time we got there. They were able to open two rooms so we could use the restroom, wash our faces, and change clothes before heading, you guessed it, back onto the bus.

Our first and only stop on our last day in Gansu was to Yadan National Park. The park is situated just over two hours outside of Dunhuang and it was a long and bumpy ride. Half of the roads that we were on were unpaved and we were in a large bus, bumping and rolling over the uneven terrain. Although we were all exhausted, I doubt anyone got much sleep on the ride over, bouncy as it was. I looked out the windows but there wasn’t much to see. The park is located in the depths of the Gobi Desert and there was no sign of life on the way there. Mile after mile of desert wasteland spread before us for two hours before we finally arrived.

           

Yadan park is a National Park that consists mostly of geological formations, specifically these mud formations that are somewhat reminiscent of some rock formations you might see in Arizona. There is nothing around for miles. The park is served by one restroom, a small gift shop, and a terribly sub-par restaurant, which we were forced to eat lunch at. I have to say I was not at all in the mood. We were going on 72 hours without shower, after having restless nights of sleep, and lots of inadequate meals and I was having a hard time getting interested in a park that solely consisted of dry mud. 

After the meal we boarded a government run bus that would take us through parts of the National Park to show us some of the “famous” (?) formations in the park. We were driving through what used to be a huge lake that had obviously dried up a long time ago, and these dried mud formations were what was left of that lake. Yes fossils had been found; no we were not allowed to see any of them. I sighed. Our guide showed us one formation that looked a little like the sphinx in Egypt, and a lot of other formation that looked like nothing at all.

The Sphinx.

We were allowed to get out and walk around and though I still wasn’t amazed by what I was seeing I was trying to appreciate it. The Chinese tourists seemed really interested so we did our best to appear interested as well, but it was hard to fight back the feeling that we could see something just as impressive if not more so back in the United States. Also, it was pretty hot outside.

 

 Also, they were selling rocks...is this a joke?

Once we were done with our dried mud formation tour we got back on the bus and headed back to Dunhuang. We did make a quick stop at an ancient check point from the silk road before another long and bumpy ride back to our hotel and, success, showers! I was so excited to step into the shower and wash the grime from the last 3 days off myself. I felt like a new person, and I was exciting for the upcoming visit to the Dunhuang night market later that night. 

 What's this?

Oh my gosh grass and water!!!

 See those tiny mounds in the distance? Part of an ancient "great wall".

After everyone had showered and we’d eaten dinner we gathered our money and our beginner Chinese skills and headed to the night market. The market was two quarter-mile-long rows of vendors selling their wares. It was the perfect place to practice bargaining skills. At first I was a little timid but after a few hours in the market I was bargaining like the best of them, facial expressions and all. “Tai gui le!” I yelled, immediately after I was told the price, and I made a disgusted face. Occasionally I’d switch into English “Oh my God!” which worked just as well and got a few laughs with it. I ended up with a large assortment of different souvenirs and I was pretty pleased with myself, as I flitted up and down the aisles, moving between groups of friends, laughing and breathing cool, dry, evening desert air.

 

It was our friend Ryan’s birthday the next day, and since the day would be spent largely on a bus and then on an airplane back to Shanghai we devised a surprise party for him that night at midnight. Plans went awry and we accidentally got two cakes but that ended up being good because we went back and set up a mini surprise party that ended up being attended by the entire group and lasting until past 2 AM. It was a great end to our trip in Gansu.

We found the only bakery in the city who would make us cakes at 11 PM! And they were good!

The next morning we had a four-hour bus ride to the airport we’d be leaving from where (to no surprise for those of you who know I’m bad luck with flights) our flight was delayed for a few hours. We finally made it Xi’an home of the terracotta soldiers where mechanical problems kept us on the ground for another few hours, and we landed in Shanghai at around midnight, a full 18-hour travel day. When I finally got back to my apartment I collapsed onto my rock hard bed with unapologetic joy. I would never forget Gansu, but I was glad to be back to my temporary home in Shanghai.

 Still managing to look somewhat awake at Pudong airport at Midnight!